Category: Features

By Glory Abuh-Adejoh

Abuja:  The National Industrial Court, Abuja, on Monday dismissed a suit filed by Ndubueze Uchechukwu, an employee of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for lacking in merit.

Uchechukwu had filed a suit against NAFDAC, challenging the agency’s decision to unofficially stop the payment of his salary in November 2011, even though he was never sacked and his pension scheme was still running.

Delivering judgment, Justice Zaynab Bashir held that NAFDAC legitimately stopped the payment of the claimant’s salary, when he stopped working on Dec.9, 2010.

The Judge further held that the claimant did not deserve any salary payment from March 2012 to date, as claimed, noting that the basis for salary was work.

Justice Bashir, therefore, dismissed the case for lacking in merit, stressing that the defendant did not resume work in Maiduguri as directed by his employer.

1. “Bearing the foregoing in mind, I r byeckon that there are other employees of the defendant in the said Maiduguri and I cannot agree any less with the counsel to the defendant.

“In all, what is deducible from the combination of Exhibits, which are  the letters written by the claimant to the DG, is that the claimant had stayed away from work since Dec.9, 2010.

“He did not resume at the Maiduguri office at all and also stopped working at the Port Harcourt office where he was before the posting,” the judge ruled.

The claimant had averred that he had yet to recover from the traumatic effect of a kidnap incident when he was hurriedly transferred to Maiduguri.

He had also posited that due to the fear of a repeat of the kidnap incident, he did not resume in Maiduguri, upon which he was queried.

The claimant’s counsel, N. Choko, had in his submission averred that the defendant was duty bound to provide a safe working environment for his client.

Choko had further argued that the defendant ought not to have forced a traumatised staff into a war zone.

He had also urged the court to grant all the reliefs sought by his client, since he was not sacked officially by NAFDAC.

NAFDAC’s counsel, M. Abutu, had in his submission, objected to the suit on the ground that the suit was an abuse of court process, as the claimant had filed another suit which was pending at the Federal High Court.

Abutu also submitted that the failure of the claimant to serve a pre-action notice made the suit to lack merit and urged the court to dismiss it.

He had further argued that the conduct of the claimant was a willful disobedience to the lawful directive of his employer, stressing that he was aware of the implication of such disobedience.(NAN) (www.nannews.org)/ Flowerbudnews

By Stella Kabruk
Kaduna:  The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says preparations have been concluded to start massive surveillance on drug hawkers in Kaduna State.

Kaduna State Coordinator of the agency, Mr Nasiru Mato disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Kaduna.

Mato said that drug hawking was of major concern to NAFDAC and the state.

He said that the complete ban of drug hawking was still in force and all medicines must be kept at the appropriate temperature as prescribed by the manufacturer to achieve the desired efficacy, potency and safety.

“Drug hawking exposes the commodities to severe temperatures, high humidity and other unfriendly climatic conditions. This is unacceptable.

“Hawking of drugs compromises the ethics and standards of the sale and distribution of medicinal products. How could one be in the business of a commodity of which you do not have prerequisite knowledge?

“Drug hawking is a serious violation of drug law hence the consumers should always purchase medicines from registered drug outlets.

“The risks associated with patronising drug hawkers are dangerous and very lethal,” he said.

Mato said NAFDAC had been up and doing to educate and sensitise the unsuspecting consumers on the inherent dangers of patronising drug hawkers.

“Drug hawkers must not be allowed to toy with the lives of the people,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng) Flowerbudnews

 

NAFDAC registration fees threat to young entrepreneurs in Enugu – Foundation

 

By Alex Enebeli

Enugu: An Enugu based group, Potters Wheel Foundation has urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Agency (NAFDAC) to waive some requirements for new entrepreneurs in the country.

Mr Godson Onuzulike, the President of the foundation stated this on Tuesday during the training of 310 youths and women on different skill acquisition in Enugu.

Onuzulike said that huge registration fees and other requirements from NAFDAC posed a great challenge to young entrepreneurs in Enugu state.

The foundation which is a non-governmental and community based humanitarian offers free vocational and entrepreneurship training for youths and women as an antidote to the unemployment, crime and insecurity bedeviling Nigeria.

He said the registration fees and other requirements were beyond the reach of beginners who were new in their various businesses.

He alleged that many entrepreneurs in the state were being harassed and their products seized while marketing it by the NAFDAC officials.

“How can they demand for a four bedroom apartment for a beneficiary who is just starting with N37,000 registration fees?

“At times, they chase these people in the market for non-certification of products they sell to the public.

“This is a great challenge to them,’’ he said.

The president disclosed that the foundation and NAFDAC were working towards creating a centre where any entrepreneur from the foundation could make his/her product under the supervision of NAFDAC.

Onuzulike, therefore, appealed to governments, corporate organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to support them with a waiver or registration fees.

“The foundation has an open door for partnership with good spirited Nigerians and organisations to help us get millions of our youths and women into productive skill acquisition so as to enable us reduce unemployment, poverty, crime and insecurity,’’ he said.

The president stated that different entrepreneurial skill and training the foundation offered  youths and women in the state could boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Enugu State.

Onuzulike said the foundation had trained many youths and women across FCT, Ekiti and Enugu States on how to make cakes, meat pie, doughnut, samosa, spring roll, chin-chin, peanut, scotch egg, bread and cookies.

Others, he said, were alcohol based hand sanitizers, antibacterial hand wash, car wash, liquid soap, body wash, tile wash, toilet wash, insecticide, rodenticide, carrot oil, coconut oil and many others.

“The state with over 4 million people and one tablet soap which can serve for a week cost N100, it will be transacting N400 million a week and total of N1.2 billion a month.

“With this simple analysis, the state will be transform in few years to come if the government and individuals in can key in into the programme.

“The South-East produced only 30 per cent of these products while 70 per cent are produced from Lagos and Abuja and if we start producing 70 per cent here, many youths and women in the state will be empowered,’’ Onuzulike said.

He added that in the next five years, cottage industries would be everywhere in the state where youths and women make the economy of Enugu state robust if the foundation were supported.

“The result of this will skyrocket the GDP of the state and people will be coming from different states to buy things.

“Nigeria youths are not lazy, they just need to be guided, spur into action and they would start making things to happen economically,’’ he noted.

The president stressed that their products were not different from those from the multinational companies as they buy chemical from the same market.

A participant, Ngozika Egwuatu described the programme as a very good initiative which would help them to become their own boss and independent.

She thanked the convener for organising such programme to lift people out of idleness adding, “in the society where it is difficult to give and someone is giving idea free is just marvelous.’’

Another beneficiary, Victoria Nnaji, said the training was an eye opener to her as she has learnt many things she did not know before. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng) Flowerbudnews

By Flowerbud News

Nov. 4, 2021

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday sealed a warehouse and arrested the owner over alleged unguarded sales of harmful chemicals.

The Kano State Coordinator of the agency, Mr Shaba Muhammed, told journalists that the deadly chemicals included Sulphuric acid, caustic soda, hydraulic acid, hydrogen peroxide, among others.

According to Shaba, before a person engages in the sale of such substances, one needs training and certification on the handling and storage of such chemicals.

“Besides, the location of the warehouse needed to be inspected,” he said.

He said that the warehouse was situated in Sabon Gari residential area.

The coordinator appealed to residents to watch out for such a warehouse and report to the authorities to avoid unexpected calamities.

He added that the suspect was currently in NAFDAC custody and would be handed over to the Police for further investigation and prosecution soon.

NAN

By Stella Kabruk
Kaduna:  The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has embarked on sensitisation of corps members on product registration requirements.

The State Coordinator of the agency, Mr Nasiru Mato said that the agency had made it easier for businesses in the country to register their products through the NAFDAC  Automated Product Administration and Monitoring System (NAPAMS).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the orientation course was organised by the National Youth  Service Corps (NYSC) in Kaduna.

Mato said that products registration with NAFDAC usually threw up different questions and requests.

He said that acquiring licences for NAFDAC regulated products was mandatory for the prospective manufacturers to secure marketing authorisation.

He said that the registration process was now made easier by NAFDAC on its e-registration platform referred to as NAPAMS.

“The e-registration is seamless, interactive and clients can get real time feedback and responses at every step thus can always monitor the progress and status of their application anywhere online.

“Product safety, quality, wholesomeness competitiveness and consumer confidence are among the numerous advantages of product registration with NAFDAC.”

Mato implored the corps members who had obtained entrepreneural skills to take advantage of NAPAMS to register their regulated products which have minimal risks under MSME category.

He said that the system offered greater transparency, reduction in possible registration bottlenecks as well as registration timeline.

He urged them to see products registration with NAFDAC as a stepping stone to boost businesses, self-reliance, economic growth and empowerment. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng) Flowerbudnews